Upon Angel Wings
by SerenityEternal
Summary: Ep. II and on. Concentrates mainly on Momo and Jr. after their goodbyes. What happens after they go their separate ways? Momo begins to receive strange new powers, and becomes the Key to saving a certain race. JXM, cXKM, SXA. Slightly AU
1. Nightmares

ok. This is my first Xenosaga fic. No it's not a oneshot, though I am completely clueless as to how long it will be. You could say drifting along till we get somewhere.

P.s. - I beat the game quite a while ago...sometime in August, so some of the words they say won't be exactly as they were in the game because I can't remember.

_Jr.: _she doesn't own Xenosaga, and thank god too!

_Serenity:_ what's that supposed to mean? Meanie! UU!

Jr.: ignores her moving on.

Symbols:

'...' thoughts

"..." speech

_italics _dreams/ flashbacks

if I missed anything sorry! Anyway on with the ficcie!

Disclaimer provided by Jr. - Sere doesn't own Xenosaga and never will, though she can dream she does. Not!

Chapter 1: Nightmares

"_Oh Come on Rubedo. You can do better than that. She's only a mechanical toy, what do you need with a rag doll anyway? Ah ha ha."_

_Junior glared at his brother with hate. He growled silently, and cursed. How could he "talk it out with him" as Shion had so easily put when this was Albedo she was talking about._

"_Shut up! Just shut up!" Junior yelled furiously lashing his arms out to the side. It was happening, his Red Dragon aura was starting to take form and he couldn't control it. _

'_No it can't be. Stop it, calm down.' Junior clenched his fist and battled against himself for control. Albedo watched as his brother's inner torment against himself with a sadistic smile on his face._

"_Besides brother dear, it's too late to have your fun with her anyway." He grinned, brought his hand up to his face, and began to lick his fingers slyly. Taunting Jr. With a satisfied look on his face. _

"_She's already been damaged by my on hands, and I enjoyed it too. I can still feel m_ུ _pech_ེ _writhing in my—_

"_SHUT UP!" Junior screamed, and with a deep fury, ran at his brother. Instead of flesh, his fist made contact with the wall. He leaned his head down and breathed heavily. The walls faded and once again Jr. Found himself within the anomaly. He walked forward silently awaiting the next barrage of memories. He finally arrived in a church like chasm. Pillars decorated the walls and white tubes containing kirshcwassers inside each finished it off. Junior looked forward and wasn't surprised to see his brother sitting on a throne like chair. From the waist down he was connected to the pillars, with wires reaching out and pulsing as if alive._

"_Welcome Rubedo. Glad to see you've finally made it. Hope you liked the welcome." Albedo laughed and stood, facing his brother. They stared each other down silently before Albedo spoke again and declared the battle to begin._

"_Albedo, you don't have to do this. You bastard." _

"_Please Rubedo. We're weapons of war, it's what we were born to do. Am I right or am I right?"_

"_Damn you Albedo. He he. You're Right though."_

"_Can you feel that rushing in your veins? Your blood singing for battle?"_

"_You're right. I can and it's telling me to fight and enjoy myself to, but this time I won't hold back." Jr. grinned at Albedo, brought his guns out, and took his fighting stance. Suddenly everything began to dim slowly and Jr. Found himself falling into darkness. _

'_Wha— what's going on here? HEY! Hey hey hey...' his yell echoed all around him, making him turn frantically, looking for a way out. Suddenly a light began to shine in front of him, that he shielded his eyes from the brightness. When it dimmed there was someone standing there. _

"_Sakura" Jr. Looked at her and started walking towards her, when Momo appeared right next to her. _

"_What?" Jr. Stopped and looked at the two girl watching him. He was confused. _

"_Choose Rubedo. You must choose." Sakura's voice echoed all around and her words hit him with a force. He stared at her in confusion. Something wasn't right, he could tell by looking at them. Momo just stood there quietly and watched him, waiting for his answer._

"_Sakura? Choose what? I-I don't understand, what's going on?" _

_Choose Rubedo. You have to choose. You must. Either you choose me or her. Which of us do you want more?" Jr. Stared at her in amazement and tried to answer but no words came out. _

_What? But how? And why? I'm sorry but I can't. Or if I even had no choice why not the two of you?"_

"_You can't Rubedo. Only one must cross. Our fate lies in your hands. Either she or I get to leave."_

_What happens to the other?" Jr. Gulped and realized with a sickening feeling that something bad was about to happen. He waited for Sakura to answer and hoped that it wasn't what he was fearing._

"_The other, will die. Now choose!" Sakura's voice commanded him with an iron grip. He had no choice. How could he possibly get out of this without losing either. Of course he wanted Sakura back, yet she was gone already wasn't she? And Momo, Momo who was standing so silently next to her sister not uttering a single word. _

"_I-I can't, please don't make me do this Sakura. You know I can't do it." _

"_Fine. Then I will choose for you. I will choose myself." Before he could even move, or open his mouth to yell Jr. Watched as Sakura moved towards Momo, and in a flash he saw Momo's face in shock as the knife went through her. He couldn't move and watched as she backed away slowly and turned to her sister, blood poured from her stomach to the floor in waves. Sakura stood there smiling and staring at her sister in satisfaction . He tried to move but found he was rooted to the ground._

"_Noooo! MOMO!" Jr. Shouted and tried to free himself with no avail. He watched with tears streaming down his face, not realizing. He couldn't do anything to save her, and it wasn't the first time. He screamed in fury and tried to free himself. Amazingly enough he wrenched himself away from the ground and ran towards Momo. He got to her just in time and caught her as she fell. _

"_Momo! Momo! Hang in there, please Momo." Jr. Sat on the floor and cradled Momo in his arms, telling her she'd be all right. as her eyes began to dim she smiled at him gently, and laid her hand on his cheek softly. He looked up angrily at Sakura and yelled at her. _

"_WHY! Damn it, Sakura. How could you? Your own sister?" Jr. Stared at her in disbelief as she stood there watching them with an insane smile on her face. _

"_I did it because she doesn't deserve you Rubedo. She's a fake, a doll, and she doesn't belong here. I love you and you should know that I did it for your own good." Jr. Couldn't believe his ears. This had to be a nightmare. He shook his head vigorously, trying to clear his mind. This couldn't be happening. Momo's breathing lessened and he could feel her slipping, her life was ebbing away slowly and he couldn't save her. _

"_No! I won't let you go. Please Momo, please don't leave me. You're all I have, I love you. Don't go" Jr. Said. _

"_Enough. I'll finish this now and I can have you all to myself." She walked forward with her weapon in hand. She looked angry and as she got closer she raised her had and prepared to strike him. _

"_Goodbye Rubedo." She laughed and struck him. Jr. Fell into darkness as everything turned black._

Jr. Sat up gasping and looked around him wildly. 'It was a dream. Just a dream.' He pulled the blanket back and put his feet on the ground. He breathed deeply and looked around to make sure he was back in the Durandal. He got up and walked towards the window, gazing out at the foundation in all its glory. He was dressed in a pair of boxers, and shivered from the sudden draft of coolness floating in the room. He'd have to ask Mary to have the stupid thing fixed since Alby had broken it the other day.

"Damn it."He sighed and raked his hand through his hair. That nightmare he'd just had was disturbing. His thoughts turned back once more to the dream and replayed the events in his mind. For a week now he'd been having a recurring nightmare, the fight between him and Albedo, then switching to that scene with Sakura and Momo.

He hadn't been able to do anything. He'd just stood there rooted to the spot, and had watched her get stabbed right in front of him. It was a repeat of the fact that he'd promised to protect her and had failed. Was he deemed to fail yet again? That horrible feeling of her right there in his arms, dying and him just watching. The worst thing was that it was Sakura murdering her. He knew that the real Sakura would never do it, because the Sakura he knew loved Momo before she'd even been born.

"Nothing will ever happen to you Momo. I won't let it. Even if I have to lay my life down for her. No one will lay a hand on my Momo." 'Wait a minute— "my momo" where did that come from? Obviously their friendship had grown ever since they'd met, but was he, Jr. Falling in love with the innocent realian?'

"Naah! No way. I can't be, can I?" He remembered when she'd hugged him as he'd come on the bridge after coming back from the anomaly. He'd been surprised at first and had blushed, but holding her in his arms then had made him feel secure. He'd felt as if he was invincible and could do anything. With her by his side he could achieve the impossible.

'_Besides the fact that she's a hottie, she's got a nice figure. You know you want her Rubedo. So don't try to deny your feelings_. He blushed at his subconscious's blunt response.

"_Shut up! What do you know, stupid mind. Besides I like Momo as a friend, that's it!"_

'_Oh please Rubedo. Who are you kidding? When will you stop being so thickheaded and face the truth you coward!' _Jr. Growled in frustration and wished his subconscious had physical form, so he could beat it to a pulp. He stretched himself out on the bed and thought about his recent growth. Anything to get his mind off Momo, and his indecent thoughts of her.

He'd grown a bit since everyone had departed. He was about a foot taller and didn't need to wear his platform shoes anymore. He laughed at that thought. He never thought there would be a day when he would say that. Mary had told him herself a few days ago that he looked "hot" and that all the girls on the foundation and on the Durandal were fainting at the sight of him. He smirked and smiled, thinking about how Mary's choice of words were so true.

He wasn't as tall as Gaignun, but apparently his 1-foot growth had also bestowed upon him the talent to "make ladies go woozy at the sight of him." Though he didn't really see much difference in his looks, he knew he'd definitely gotten taller. His chest muscles had rippled a bit due to his battles with the gnosis, and apparently that, coupled with his growth spurt had turned him into a "wanted bachelor and hunk."

As a matter of fact, now that he thought about it he realized that may have been the reason girls had been trailing him recently. He knew that they thought he didn't know they were following him but he'd known. Some of them were getting a bit too fresh for his taste.

Jr. Sighed and turned on his side. He closed his eyes and Momo's face appeared there. Sleepily he drifted of into a dreamless slumber thinking of her, hoping he'd see her sometime in the near future. All was silent as everyone on the Durandal slept, some dreaming, others thinking. Outside the moon shone brightly, and the stars twinkled gently watching over the unsuspecting innocents of war.

For once in a long time Jr. Was able to sleep peacefully, without any demons plaguing his dreams. A smile graced his lips as he turned over and slept comfortably. Soon a new day would begin and he'd have challenges to face.

"Soon she will awaken."

" Her true self."

"And I can't wait."

well? How was it? hides behind chair it was horrible wasn't it? Come on be honest. Well gotta go and work on the next chapter.

Jr: laterz peoples. And review or I'll shoot you till you cry uncle. takes out his guns as evidence

Oh he's just kidding. glares at him aren't you?

p.s. i apologize about the whole hunk thing. I wrote this at2 in the morning, so that part's way too ooc. ah hehehe...--'!

Serenity out.


	2. Tears

Ok here's chapter 2, and I have to mention some things before I go on. This will be slightly AU, I don't think it will be really but to be on the safe side and warn you guys.

Another thing, my computer either hates me, or has serious issues. They symbols such as the star, and the parenthesis aren't working, so I'm sorry if it appears in the story, and isn't there. I've gone back, edited, and reedited at least 3 times but still not working. So for that I apologize.

Symbols

'...' - thoughts

"..." - speech

_Italics_ - dreams, subconscious

Review responses:

Naoki07: thank you very much! - you're too kind. Hope you like chapter 2 as much as chapter one.

Kos-mosMomo: thank you -! Here's chapter two, hope you like it. Bye the way I love your stories. So cute! I think I've managed to read every single one no less than 3 times, lol.

now on with the chapter.

Disclaimer provided by Momo : Serenity doesn't own Xenosaga.

Chapter 2: Tears

" _Momo." Moomo, Momo!" _

"_Come Momo, I need to speak to you. Please Come! You must come to me now." _

Thunder boomed across the sky. Winds howled, as if controlled by a demonic force, and lightning struck the ground destroying everything in its path. Clouds churned in the darkening sky as if they were fighting a silent war no one else knew about. It seemed as if nature itself was in a battle.

Not hearing the rain splatter against her bedroom's windows strongly enough to awaken her, the sleeping realian turned her head to the side without opening her eyes. She was sleeping, but not peacefully. Anyone watching her could see her eyes moving rapidly beneath her closed lids.

As a bolt of lightning struck the ground near her bedroom, A shadow at the foot of her bed appeared. Since it was so dark outside, nothing could be determined of his outline but the shape of a man, with wings emerging slowly from his back. In the light of the stars, the young man straightened and stood at the foot of Momo's bed. He stood silently staring at her, and awaiting his Mistress's command. He lifted his head as if listening to something, bowed his head, and walked out of the room as silent as a mouse.

meanwhile

_Momo gasped and woke up to find herself in an unfamiliar room. She looked around wildly trying to guess where she was. She had been sleeping in her bedroom and the last thing she could remember was dreaming, or rather running in her dream. She was being chased by something terrible. All she could remember was running in fear when suddenly the ground in front of her had gone up in flames, she had been blinded by the sudden light, and when she had reopened her eyes she found herself here. She stood up slowly and blinked, trying to adjust to the darkness._

_Her observational powers told her this was Sakura's bedroom. She gasped and looked around to make sure one of her circuits wasn't malfunctioning, when sure enough there was Sakura's bed right in front of her. As her eyes began to adjust, she looked around the rest of the room, and noticed all the other familiar objects in the room. The bunny rabbit leaning against the wall, and the closet._

_She had no idea why she was here, and yet she felt comfortable being in the room. For some reason, it made her feel protected, and unafraid. Even though these were not her real memories, she still felt that way. _

"_I wonder why I'm here." Momo approached the bed and saw that there was nothing there, so she sat down gently, and thought about how she could have gotten here._

"_My circuits aren't malfunctioning...are they" She whispered the last two words quietly. The idea that her circuits really might be malfunctioning, made her eyes brim with tears. She could never truly be human, no matter how much she wished. She fell to the floor gently and curled into a ball, with her arms encircling her knees. _

"_I really am...just a doll." Silent tears streamed down here face as she thought about this. She could never be Sakura, like her father wanted. She most certainly couldn't replace her either, because she was just a fake. The painful truth pricked at her heart like a sharp knife, waiting to pierce through her chest. _

"_My heart is...a fake?" Those words came back to haunt her now as she cried silently, letting her tears flow, she was slowly drowning in her own sorrow, and there was no way to save herself. She would never forget the day when she had gone to have the Y-Data extracted from her body. That was when she knew that she really was nothing more than just a creation._

_As she sat there on the carpeted floor of Sakura's bedroom, sobs racked her body, making her frail figure shake uncontrollably. Without warning, two arms encircled her from behind gently, shocking her._

"_Don't cry." Momo gasped at the voice and turned fast as lightning to make sure she wasn't hearing things. She had been crying so hard, that she had hardly noticed anyone in the room with her. There standing in front of her smiling gently at her, was..._

"_Sakura" Momo breathed. Her sister stood in front of her smiling at her gently. She approached the shocked Momo and took her in her arms, hugging her, as a mother would her child. Momo thought she must be dreaming, and most definitely she must be malfunctioning. Sakura was dead, yet here she was holding Momo in her arms gently._

"_Don't cry Momo." Sakura moved back and looked Momo over, smiling the entire time. She moved her right arm up and wiped Momo's tears away gently, giving her baby sister a loving smile._

"_Sa— Sakura? Is it really you?" Momo asked in shock. She moved a hand up to her warm cheek and saw that her tears were gone. Sakura really was here. The girl whom she had been modeled after, was right in front of her, in the flesh. _

"_Yes it's me. I'm here for you baby sister." Sakura took Momo's hands and moved her towards the bed, sitting the young realian down. _

"_I may not be really here, but I will in here." Sakura moved her hand to Momo's chest, where her heart was, and layed her hand there._

"_I am gone Momo, but know that I will always be with you baby sister. In your heart." Sakura laid her hand on Momo's cheek and smiled._

"_What I told Rubedo that day, about you being born, and that you were my little sister. It was all true. I meant every single word, and I still do now. I will always love you no matter what or who you are Momo. I don't believe for one minute that you're a fake. You will always be my little sister, and I will always be there for you in your heart, and soul."_

_Momo stared at her in astonishment, tears once again flowing down her cheeks. Without warning she cried out, and flung herself into Sakura's arms._

_Sakura's eyes filled with tears, she put her arms around Momo's frail frame gently and hugged her. She let her little sister cry in her arms, letting out all her sorrows, and fears._

"_Come on now Momo, you're going to make me cry too. Silly girl." Sakura pushed her sister up and laughed, wiping her own tears away fiercly. _

"_Look at you. You're so sweet, shy, kind, and gentle. Me? I'm a tom boy at heart, and always will be, you may have my looks, but we're as opposite as heaven and hell. Haven't you ever heard twins?" Sakura giggled, and got up. _

"_It's time for you to go. Someone wants to see you very badly, and she's waiting for you outside. You have a destiny ahead of you little sister, and for every step you take, remember that I will always be there for you. Never forget that Momo. We share the same heart, in a sense, and are connected by our the bond that father created."_

"_One more thing before you go. Mom, really does love you. Don't blame her for the way she is right now. She's still trying to find herself, and in time she will. It was my fault to begin with. Stand by her Momo, and you'll find that she loves you just as she does me, because you're my sister. You're not me, and you never will be, so stop thinking about it." Sakura walked forward, took Momo's face in her hands and kissed her forehead gently. Then she began to walk backwards slowly. She beamed at Momo and laughed._

"_Please don't go! I, I need you!" Momo cried at Sakura. She bit her lip tearfully, not wanting her sister to leave. _

"_Don't look so sad! Cheer up, you have an adventure ahead of you. Always remember baby sister, I will always be there for you, just listen... to your heart." Sakura slowly faded away, her words still echoing in the room. A warm feeling encircled Momo as a sparkling light gently lit the room. _

"_Come now Momo. It's time." A woman's voice echoed in her mind, and all around her, and at the same time the air shimmered with a glittering light. Momo gasped lightly and looked around in confusion, trying to find the source of the voice. Hadn't Sakura mentioned that someone was waiting for her outside, But who could it be? How on earth could someone contact her in the subconscious domain? _

_Momo sighed sadly, looked around the room once more, and walked out. She descended the stairs slowly, and as she reached the front door, she nervously turned the knob. She walked outside, and found herself on the porch of the house, within the summer domain. She gulped, yet bravely walked forward. She warily kept her sensors, and eyes out for any nearby gnosis._

"_Come to me." The woman's voice once again filled the air around her, and as she looked around the field, a transporter opened about ten feet away from her, on the ground. Momo gasped in surprise, and jumped back in shock. She had sensed nothing at all, yet here was a transporter right in front of her. _

_She walked down the steps carefully, and went towards the transporter slowly. As she got closer she began to sense a strong power coming from within. She stepped on it, and was whisked away. _

_Momo found herself standing at the beach. She was still in her subconscious domain, yet somehow had been transported to the beach without having to walk there. As she stood there, puzzled and wondering when she could go home, or wake up, the glittering light from before returned. It swirled around her gently, encircling her like a warm coat, but with the smell of roses, and grass._

_A white light shimmered in front of her, and began to take form. Momo shielded her eyes from the intense brightness, by putting her arms up as cover. As the light began to dim, and fade slowly, a gentle hum filled the air. _

"_Welcome dear. You're finally here." Momo gasped at the voice and looked up at her visitor. Standing a few feet away from her was a beautiful woman with thigh length blonde hair, and deep blue eyes. She was wearing a long white dress, and sandals that Momo had never seen before. Encircling her right arm was a golden bangle in the shape of a flying dove, and on the dove's wings lay a red heart, with a blue stone inside._

"_I've been waiting for you, for such a long time." The woman smiled at her and walked towards Momo softly. As she came closer to Momo, the hum in the air intensified tenfold, and the strong scent of roses, and grass grew. Flower grew around her feet as she walked, and out of nowhere, five white doves flew overhead, racing towards the trees._

"_Who—who are you?" Momo uttered softly, not believing her eyes. _

"_I have been waiting for you, for so long sweetling. Look at you. So beautiful, Just as Sakura said, you're very different from her." Momo stared at her in shock, unable to find words to say._

"_I only came here to give you what is rightfully yours Princess." She approached Momo until she was less than three feet away from her. She took out a beautiful necklace, and held it up to Momo. It was a tiny crystal heart glowing with white and pink light inside it. Floating in the center was a very tiny zohar, encircled by a pair of wings. The outside of the crystal was aligned with blue sapphire stones, and in the center of each, a pink heart glowed. Coming out of the crystal on either side, was a tiny pair of pure white wings. imagine the flying snitch from harry potter._

"_This is your rightful power princess. Take it, because you will need it, in the coming days. It will protect you, just as long as you have faith in yourself Momo." She lifted the necklace and brought it down gently, until it was around Momo's neck. The woman looked up suddenly, her face twisted in shock. She turned back to Momo and urgently moved her back to the transporter._

"_He's sent one of his creatures to look for you. You must leave now, I wish there was more time to talk to you but, it looks like fate has decided otherwise. Now go Daughter of Joachim, and don't look back. Your father is very proud of you Momo, and he believes in you." Momo's head shot up at the mention of her father._

"_Daddy? But How? " Momo asked her in amazement. The woman smiled at her gently, and began to fade away slowly._

"_The necklace will protect you. Now go before the creature finds you. Hurry home, and trust me Momo, your questions will be answered in due time." The lady frowned at the wind, as if she was listening to some invisible servant. _

"_Now Go! Hurry!" Without warning Momo found herself flying backwards to the transporter, supported on an invisible wind that was carrying her gently. _

"_Wait! I don't even know your name." Momo struggled against her captor in vain._

"_The woman turned back once more, and smiled at the girl."_

"_My name is Hope." With that, Momo found herself back in Sakura's bedroom, alone once again. She stood there dazed from everything that had happened, trying to clear her head. As she glanced around her, a terrible screeching howl filled the air around her. She looked up in fright and searched the dark room for the door. Something was telling her to run. That this was something she wouldn't be able to handle on her own. _

_The necklace around her neck began to glow a dangerous shade of red, when suddenly she heard the front door, banging open downstairs. Her heart beat rapidly, and she backed away slowly, until her back touched the wall. There was no place to go, except through the door, and whatever that thing was, she could hear it breathing on the other side of the door. A rotting smell filled the air around her, and she blinked her eyes from the stinging sensation, coming from the creature on the other side of the door._

_Suddenly the door fell forward with a thud, revealing the abomination behind it. She couldn't see it very well from the darkness of the room, but she could see that it was some kind of gnosis, one she'd never encountered before. She mentally began to panic, and thought that she would die by this creature._

_The creature rushed towards her suddenly, claws out as if to rip her to shreds, Momo screamed, and flung her arms out as if to ward it off. Her necklace floated up in front of her and glowed a bright pink, showering the room with light. Momo found herself slowly falling forward, as if into a deep sleep._

Momo woke up in bed gasping for air, and looking around wildly. She moved the blanket of off her body, and looked at herself. There didn't seem to be anything out of the ordinary.

"It was just a dream. I think." Feeling something cold against her chest, she moved her pink pajama shirt's collar back , and gasped at what she saw. There, dangling from her neck was the crystal heart.

"It can't be...but how?" Momo stared in shock at the fact that everything she had thought was a dream, had in reality happened.

"_The Heart of Marienkind will protect you child. For you will need it." _

o.O! wow! That was so long. I wonder how many words it is. I know for sure it took me five hours to write, well hope it was ok.

w00t! 6 pages long too!

Please review, I'd like to hear your opinions, comments, flames, whatever. It helps the author a lot, to speak for other authors who feel the same as well. I know this because I'm not a first time author.

Don't think I've forgotten about the mysterious shadow guy in Momo's room, lol. Who is that lady? And what exactly is hunting her. Find out on the next chapter.

good lord I sound like a narrator...yeesh!

Oh! As for the whole Sakura thing, caught you off guard huh? You probably thought "Jr. To the rescue!" right? -. Well surprise! A twist. Also I'd like to clear something up, just because I put Sakura in an evil situation or whatever doesn't mean I hate her. I like, just not as much as Momo.

Everyone should know that next to Kos-Mos, Momo is my favorite character. They're both so cute ne?

Serenity out for now.

R&R please. Arigatou gozaimasu.


	3. Discoveries

I'm back! With chapter 3 this time. Sorry for the long wait but I had so much stuff to do, midterm exams, math test, which I failed by the way... . !

I actually decided to do chappie 3 over my math homework, all for you guys, lol, see how much I love you all?

Hope you like it, sorry if it's kinda sucky, but I'm writing it at 2 a.m. so expect mistakes. Anyways on with the review replies, and disclaimer.

Review Responses:

KOS-MOS rox: thank you very much! Here's chapter 3, hope you like it, you update your too. I'll get the chance to review them some time this century, don't worry, lol.

Thunton: Glad you liked it, I agree, there aren't too many Jr.xMomo sfics out there, that's why I decided to do my own. Here's chapter 3, enjoy!

Kos-mosMomo: Lol! No not Citrine, thanks for your encouragement, hope you like this chappie too. No problem, I love your stories, they're so cute. Lol.

Naoki07: Thank you for reviewing both chapters, and your wonderful comments are very encouraging. Hope chapter 3 is just as good.

Now no more annoyance from me, go on and have fun. !

Disclaimer provided by Momo and Jr.: Serenity does not own Xenosaga, if she did she'd keep everyone in all six episodes.

Chapter 3:_ Discoveries_

Grey clouds parted and gave way to a peeping sun. Birds awoke and began their morning ritual. The once dark and moonless sky, black and lacking stars began to brighten as a new day began.

Sunlight seeped through the slightly drawn curtains, making the sleeping realian twist in bed. After the long dream which she'd been trapped in for hours, Momo had finally awoke only to find that everything had been true.

Seeing the crystal heart around her neck had shocked her. Realizing that everything had been real she had sat under the window staring at the blue sky in deep thought. Only when the early light of dawn began to show, did the young realian fall asleep.

"Momo dear, are you awake ye— oh." Juli Mizrahi stood in the doorway to Momo's room with a strange look on her face. There right across from her was Momo. The girl was leaning against the wall in a crouching position, with her hands around her knees and her head against the wall. Her pink bangs fell across her face giving her an angelic look, yet making her seem vulnerable.

Juli smiled at the sight before her and sighed quietly, looking at her daughter. She stood there silently in the shadows of the half-closed door watching Momo sleep. Thoughts ran through her head as she watched the realian girl sleep.

"What Rubedo said is true. You really are nothing like Sakura." Joachim may have created her to be just like Sakura, but she was the complete opposite. Juli walked forward quietly, making sure not to wake the girl. She scribbled a quick note, and placed it on top of Momo's bedside dresser. She walked towards Momo with a small blanket in her hand.

Juli leaned down , covered Momo with the blanket and made sure she was comfortable. As quietly as possible, Juli leaned down, brushed a few strands away from Momo's face and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. She looked down on the sleeping girl once more, then quietly walked out.

Juli stood at the front door surveying the apartment once more, then locked it and left for work, not noticing the dark shadow appearing behind her. Shugo breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that Juli had finally left, and went towards Momo's room.

Unaware of anything around her, Momo turned to the side in her sleep, not realizing she wasn't on her bed, she fell.

"Ah! Hmm? What's going on?" Momo rubbed her eyes blearily and looked around her room trying to remember what had happened. She looked down to find herself on the floor, tangled up in a blanket. She rubbed her face tiredly, trying to get the sleepiness out of her eyes.

"Oh now I remember. That horrible dream...yet it wasn't a dream was it." She remembered everything now. She had met Sakura Mizrahi in the subconscious realm, and had finally gotten the chance to talk to her. But that wasn't all, she had also met someone else, a woman. She had been a very beautiful woman, with long blonde hair, surrounded by flowers and doves. Momo wondered who that woman could have been.

"The beast. I can't forget that beast, was it...a gnosis?"She hadn't really gotten a very good look at the thing, yet what else could it have possibly been. Momo sighed slowly and got up off the floor. She folded the blanket, not knowing where it came from, and approached her bed. As she was tidying up the bed, her hand accidently hit the dresser, causing the note to go fluttering to the ground.

"Ouch." Momo winced, holding her hand in a cradle-like manner against her chest. As she glanced around the room, waiting for the pain to go away, her eyes fell on the piece of the paper lying on the ground.

"Huh? What's this?" She leaned down and picked up the note. She sat on her bed and read it.

_Momo, Something urgent has come up at the Subcommittee and I have to go. I'm sorry to leave you without saying goodbye but you were sleeping so peacefully, and you looked exhausted that I didn't want to wake you. I left the blanket there in case you're cold. I'm really not sure when I'll be able to come home, most definitely not tonight. I'm very sorry, but I know you're a very responsible young lady, and can handle everything. I leave the apartment in your care, and I will see you when I come back._

_Sincerely,_

_Juli Mizrahi _

"Oh no! I missed saying goodbye to mommy. Oh well, I guess I better get to work cleaning the apartment so that when she gets back, it'll be nice and spotless." Momo walked out of her room, and prepared to spend the rest of the day cleaning, and going shopping for food.

"Hmm, I wonder where I should start. I know! I'll begin with the living room and work my way around. First I should eat something, so I don't weaken myself." Momo headed towards the kitchen, unaware she was being watched by a pair of deep violet eyes.

"I wonder what I should eat..." Momo said out loud to herself, suddenly she tensed up. She shivered as she felt a change in the room's temperature. She walked towards the kitchen counter and sat herself down slowly, pretending nothing was out of the ordinary. She was scared, she realized with shock that she wasn't alone. Fear gripped at her heart, as she thought it might be the beast she had encountered last night. It couldn't have somehow come out of the subconscious domain, could it?

Momo gripped the heart around her neck tightly through her shirt. She was afraid to turn around and look, afraid that whatever might be behind her would tear her to pieces without giving her the chance to even defend herself.

"There's no reason for you to fear me. Unlike that monster you faced last night, I don't bite." Momo gasped at the sound of the voice and whirled around in shock, her hair swirling around her like a halo.

Facing her was a young man about the same age as Kos-Mos. The stranger stood tall, facing Momo. He was the about two or three inches taller than Kos-Mos, with dark black hair down to his shoulder blades, and wearing the strangest set of clothes she saw. He was wearing a long sleeve black shirt with white laced on the edges of his sleeves, and collar. His pants were in a very similar fashion, black shoes finished his outfit. The weirdest item of cloth was a long black cape, infused with bits of metal around the shoulders, and held together in the front by three connected violet orbs. The back of his cape had was equipped with a sword in its case.

He stood there gazing at her with deep violet eyes. He was very handsome, with a narrow face that looked as if it had been through hard battles, and eyes that had no emotion in them. The one thing that caught Momo's interest above all else was the long pair of silver wings protruding from his back. They floated gracefully around him, as if ready to take flight. Momo was shocked as to what was going on, so she did the only sensible thing that came to mind.

"Who...Who are you?" Momo asked him quietly, still taking in the strange man standing in front of her.

"I guess she didn't have time to tell you. To answer your question, my name is ShugoTenshi, just Shugo is fine though." Momo stared at him in awe, she was extremely confused as to what was happening around her, yet she knew he wouldn't hurt her. How exactly she knew that, she had no idea, there was a weird feeling surging throughout her body, and it was telling her that he wasn't there to harm her.

"I don't understand though. Why are you here, and who is this "she" you're referring to?" Momo stood facing him and waiting for an explanation. Without any warning, Shugo bent over as if in pain, panting. Momo glanced at him in alarm and rushed forward.

"Oh no! Are you all right? What's wrong?" Shugo just grunted and pushed her away gently. His face was twisted in pain, and he was sweating hard. Suddenly his wings began to withdraw back into his back. Where they had been protruding out from his shoulder blades, they were now re-shrinking and disappearing back into them. Shugo straightened himself a minute later, and leaned against the wall trying to regain his senses.

"Are...Are you all right?" Momo whispered in shock.

"Yes, I'm fine. It's not the first time I've had to do it. I should be getting used to it, but it takes a while." He smiled down at Momo for the first time since he'd appeared, took her hand and guided her toward the sitting area.

"I pushed you away because I didn't want you to get hurt, My wings could have cut you or hurt you if you were too close. I'm sorry, I just didn't want to hurt you." He looked at Momo quietly, waiting for her to answer. He couldn't tell what she was going to say or how she looked at the moment because she had her head down, facing th floor. He prepared himself for the worst, and stood there quietly, waiting for her reaction. He was completely unprepared for what she did next.

"Oh I'm so glad you're all right. I though that something bad had happened, and I wouldn't have known what to do. I was so worried." Momo looked up at him with tears in her eyes, smiling. Without warning she threw herself at him in a hug, then realizing what she'd done, she jumped back just as suddenly, her face a deep shade of red.

We have a lot to do, as well as a lot of thing you need to know." Momo sat down quietly, waiting for Shugo to speak.

"The 'she' that I was referring to was Hope, whom I know you've met already, right?"

"Yes." Momo said timidly, she glanced at the floor shyly, avoiding his gaze at all costs.

"Umm...may I ask who she is?" Momo looked up at him, curiously waiting for an answer.

"She didn't tell you, and I'm assuming she has her reasons. You'll find out in due time. The most important things that you need to know right now I will tell you."

"Oh. Well ok err...Mr. Shugo." Momo said quietly, a bit disappointed.

"Just Shugo."

"Oh! I'm sorry." Momo said blushing in embarrassment. Shugo glanced at her and laughed quietly at the realian, especially when she'd hugged him and then jumped back in embarrassment.

"I am here because I have a job to do." Momo glanced at him curiously, yet patiently.

"If I may ask, what kind of job is that?" Shugo, who was looking around the apartment as he spoke, turned to Momo sharply.

"The job of protecting you." Momo looked at him in shock, searching his face for anything saying, that it was a joke. But no such luck, Shugo just sat there and stared at her quietly, waiting for her to say something.

"Protecting..._Me_? But why? Why do I need protecting, after all the Y-Data is gone..." She trailed of quietly, and looked at the floor in sadness.

"No. Not because of the Y-Data at all, but because of your inheritance."

"My inheritance? What is that?" Momo asked him, looking up in confusion.

"Tell me, did Hope mention anything about your necklace?" Momo glanced up sharply at the mention of the crystal heart, and as if it knew that someone had mentioned it, the heart came out of her shirt to float gently in midair, glowing a pinkish white.

"Ahh!" Momo gasped in surprise, and jumped back, further into the couch.

"I guess not." Shugo sighed and rubbed his face tiredly.

"This is going to take a while."He watched as Momo brought her hand up and grasped it around the crystal, holding it tightly.

"That crystal is the key to something very important, what exactly, we'll find out in due time. Though It contains powers, powers that are beyond ether, and much stronger. These powers are yours, as you are the one who summoned the heart to you."

"What? But how?" Momo asked in shock.

"Don't tell me, you thought it was just given to you? Oh no Princess, The Heart of...Err the Crystal awoke because you called to it, whether intentionally or not. It belongs to the rightful heir to the throne, and that is you Momo." He smiled at her, and nodded encouragingly.

"You mean that this crystal...belongs to me? Wow. I don't believe it." Momo glanced in awe at the glowing heart in her hand.

"I have to go. I will always be watching you, so if you need me, just call my name. I may not be there physically but if you summon me with the heart, I will come. For now, keep this a secret, and don't say anything to anyone, not even Ziggy, Besides me you will also have another protector, she will be right there besides you, so don't hesitate to ask for her help, You'll see her soon enough."

"But why do you have to go? Everyone is leaving me, first Sakura, Hope, Mommy, and now you...Do you really have to go?" Momo asked him tearfully. Shugo Smiled and walked towards her. He embraced her gently in a hug, and dried her tears.

"There's no need for you to shed tears, like I said, I'll always be here, just call me with the heart and I will come. But for now, I have to go, I have other matters to attend to." Pushing her back gently, Shugo smiled and faded away slowly as if he hadn't even been there.

"Ohhh! Now what am I going to do? I guess I better get started on cleaning, otherwise I'll go crazy thinking about everything."

"Wait a minute...How on earth did he know Ziggy's name?" Momo glanced back at where Shugo had just been, but there was no one there.

"He did say I will find out in due time, so maybe I really will. Oh daddy, I wish you were here so that I could ask you what to do." Momo sighed quietly and went back to the kitchen to start breakfast. As she cooked the eggs on the stove, she fingered the heart slowly, wondering what exactly it was supposed to do.

After finishing her breakfast, and washing the dishes, she decided to go shopping. She had surveyed the refrigerator, and had found out that they'd been running out of the essentials. She had taken a shower, brushed her teeth and was now standing in front of the mirror brushing her hair.

She had grown a bit, her hair was no to her shoulders, but not below it, and the bangs on either side fell to her chin. She put the brush down and walked to her closet, picking out a peach colored dress down to her knees. It was short sleeved, with little ruffles around the edges of the bottom, and sleeves. Over that she put on a white full sleeve sweater, and wore a tiny black purse, filled with some money, diagonally across her chest.

At the door, she put on a pair of white socks that reached to above her foot, and a pair of black shoes. She surveyed the apartment once more, and walked out, locking the door behind her.

Outside, Momo breathed in the fresh spring air, even if it was artificial, and glanced around Fifth Jerusalem happily. It was pretty here, despite it being said, that since it was the government officials' city, and that it wasn't a nice place to live, Momo enjoyed it very much. It reminded her of Second Miltia, it was almost exactly the same as the city sectors there. Except here it was slightly more of a nature habitat, with lots of grass, flowers, and trees.

"Maybe I can go to the park for a bit after I finish shopping, Since Mommy isn't going to be back home tonight." The thought that she would be alone for the night slightly frightened her, but she was brave, and She remembered Shugo's words, to call if she needed him.

As she walked down the busy streets, Momo hummed a little tune that Shion had sung to her a while back. She had been feeling down, as well as ill after the incident at Proto Merkabah, and had eaten nothing, or left her room for two days. Thus Shion would come in to help her try to get some sleep, she had sung her a song her mother used to sing to her when she was a baby.

As she walked deeper into the street, the area around her began to thicken with trees, and bushes, while few people walked here. She went to the closest tree to her and sat under it, relaxing in the shade.

Suddenly she heard something snap near her, and stood up quickly putting on her guard, in case it was a gnosis. She screamed in surprise and jumped back as she felt something fall on her from above. She jumped away from the tree and brushed herself all over to make sure it wasn't a big or anything. Her hand touched something wet on her neck, and as she brought it to her face to see, she gasped in surprise. It was blood, but not hers.

"What on earth..." Momo looked around the area and finally found the source of the blood. It was a tiny blue bird, about the size of her hand, but a bit smaller. She rushed forward, and kneeled down in front of the bird. She gently lifted it in the palm of her hands, trying to see if she could heal it.

"Oh no! You poor thing. What horrible thing could have done this to you?" Momo's eyes filled with tears as she glanced at the bird. It had been slashed across it's wing, and stomach, she could clearly see that it was dying, the wounds were impossible to heal.

Momo cried silently, wishing with all her heart she could do something. Suddenly, the crystal around her neck shone gently, and as her tear fell and connected with the bird's body, a white light shone brightly, covering the small frame in her hands. Momo winced from the brightness, and closed her eyes, waiting for it to pass. She opened her eyes and gasped.

There fully healed, was the little blue bird standing in her palms watching her curiously. Momo just stared in shock, the bird had clearly died, yet it wasn't now.

"Did I...just do that?" Momo asked the air in shock.

Yay! Once again, very long chapter. Not bad huh? 8 pages long, whoo!

Sorry about the cliffhanger but I just couldn't help it...please don't kill me! ;

anyways, 11 days and chapter 3 is up now so that's not too bad right?

R&R please, thanks!

Serenity out


	4. Emotions

First of all, I'd like to state that I owe my dear reviewers, and readers a sincere apology. I haven't updated this story in 2 years and I'm sure most if not all have probably given up on me by now. However I have very good reasons, and very stupid reasons for not updating in so long. I apologize from the bottom of my heart and I will try my best to not disappoint anyone any further.

I will continue the story, and try my best to make up for all that last time. However since the last chapter, I have finished playing Xenosaga III, recently just finished it. And I have to say the game, is a masterpiece, had a positive ending, but made me sad that it ended just like that without even a glance at our favorite characters in the future.

a few more short words and I'll be done rambling soon. I will try to finish the story to my best ability, but armed with new knowledge of Episode III, I will end up changing a few things. However my portrayal of the characters will remain as close to their personality as possible.

Jr. : "she's not lying, she loves it when she reads the fics where they act themselves instead of ooc. She's a weird one, I say. Whack! ow!!! what the hell was that for?"

me: glare because I felt like it? I can you know, besides who's weird? I at least don't have my brother arguing with me from inside my head.

Jr.: "..."

me: hah! got you there!

**Pairings**: Jr. x MOMO, chaos x KOS-MOS, Shion x Allen...maybe others...we'll see as the story progresses.

**Disclaimer** by our lovely Jr.- " poutingly "Stupi... I mean Serenity doesn't own the wonderful and beautiful Xenosaga Trilogy, if she did she would make all the characters get together, and have them go to the beach for some fun."

me: yea, cause MOMO 's so cuuuute in her swimsuit!!!!

Jr.: HEY!!!!!!! runs after Serenity with his guns

anyway enjoy!

Chapter 4: Emotions

of course no one would answer her since she was alone, except for the little blue bird in her palm staring at her almost curiously, as I saying "this girl is crazy".

MOMO stared at the bird in shock then slowly closed her eyes and inhaled the scent of grass around her, trying to establish that she wasn't dreaming, or that there was something wrong with her sensors, and eyes for that matter. Feeling a little tickle on the palm of her hand she opened her eyes and gazed at the little bird in her hand. She was beautiful, with a slightly purplish flourished feather coming out of her head, and she had the most unique eyes, Golden, just like MOMO's.

It seemed that the bird was just fine, as if it hadn't just lay in her palm bleeding to death, It was the strangest thing, and yet MOMO couldn't find any logical explanation to even theorize as to why this bird had just been healed.

It is possible with ether to heal a wounded person, yet to bring something back to life, this close to death. For once in her life MOMO was unable to answer her own question.

"Could daddy have programmed me with something like this?" She shook her head, knowing fully well it wasn't possible.

"No, this is probably due to my heart necklace, that I received from Hope. I wish I could see her, she's the only one who can probably provide me with an explanation as to what just happened."

"Well no sense in staying here, I feel tired all of a sudden, I think I'll go on home and take a nap, maybe clearing my head will make thinking this out easier."

MOMO got up from her crouched position slowly and watched as the bird gently jumped from her palm to her shoulder and chirped at her as if to say "let's go!"

MOMO giggled and smiled at the almost childlike bird before her, and said "all right, all right, let's go home and from there we'll see what we can do." She walked out of the quiet park like area, and moved into the crowded streets of Second Miltia, towards her home.

Unknown to MOMO she was being watched, by a pair of red menacing eyes. A creature of hell that had no soul nor any bearing for anything but its mission. Seek and destroy the Realian prototype.

Meanwhile, on the Sword shaped ship, named the Durandel, a tiny creature was wreaking his own path of havoc.

"ALBY!!!!!!!!! YA COME BACK HERE NOW YOU...AAAUUGGGGHHH!!!!!" An enraged Mary Godwin breathed heavily and tried taking in a breath or two before she fell over from a heart attack. The culprit in question raced back towards at her, wagged his tail playfully and then raced off again as to say "come on let's play!"

However Mary was in no mood to play, considering her favorite pair of sneakers had just seen their death at the teeth of that monstrous dog. To her he was a monster who ate everything, and caused chaos around the ship. Mary had no idea what the little master saw in that dog however, she guessed it was because of Albedo.

"That's it if Little Master doesn't do anything about him, then I will. Hehehhe" She grinned evilly, planning something disastrous probably. She would exact her revenge and she would make sure that dog paid for her beautiful sneakers. And for all the running around he caused her to do.

She turned around and headed back to the bridge, she'd seek the little monster later, but now she had more important things to do. They were heading for Second Miltia, as Little Master had a meeting to attend there, and they needed to restock some of the ship's supplies.

Plus, she smiled widely, Maybe with a "chance encounter" Little Master would meet MOMO again, they hadn't seen each other in a while, a month give or take, and Little Master hardly talked about her.

As well as the 100 Series Realians on the bridge were so excited to see their sister, and tell her about ideas they had for body enhancements.

"Hopefully everyone can get together again, and have like a party or something. It would be fun, plus the Little Master Would have something to take his mind off of Albedo. He needs some cheering up, even if he hides, we can all see him hiding the pain behind that mask of his." She walked slowly trying to think up different ideas for a party they could have to get everyone together.

Unknown to Mary, certain events sometimes lead up to our heroes meeting once again on a journey to save the universe.

"Ah, this sucks. There's nothing to do, except for attend that stupid meeting on Second Miltia, why do I even have to go anyway, damn that Gaignun, all he keeps saying is that he's busy with something, and now I have to take his place." Jr. Sighed and stared up at his ceiling slowly, recounting the events of the past, all the way up to what happened between him and Albedo.

"Of course, Lucky bastard. He gets the easy way out...not fair" Jr. Turned over and closed his eyes, so he wouldn't cry, born as conjoined twins, almost one being really, he still couldn't feel his brother was gone. It was almost a shock really. Albedo was truly gone, and by his own hands.

He hoped that his brother was at least finally happy. "He deserves some peace after all. Yet why? Why did you have to leave me? Albedo! Answer me!" Jr. cried, his voice full of sorrow and anguish.

There was no answer, and with that Jr. Slowly fell asleep thinking of his brother.

"Thank you! Come again" The waiter said to MOMO, while glancing curiously at the bird perched on her shoulder. She had stopped by a store and bought some groceries, deciding since Juli wasn't going to be back for a few days she may as well cook herself and maybe prepare a meal for when her mother came home. It would certainly be a nice surprise for her.

As she walked, taking her time to take in the scenery and beautiful blue sky, even if artificial, she glanced around at the people around her. There were 3 children playing with a puppy in the corner, while a few feet from them were 2 old ladies gossiping about something.

She watched as a little boy walking by her with his mother, pointed at her and said something, then she saw his mother shake her head, glance at her and pull her son forward quickly. MOMO hung her head down in embarrassment and walked quickly forward, hurrying towards her destination.

"I guess there are still some people in this world that still believe Realians are a threat, or have no place in this wor;d." She wished people could understand, but she knew from before birth, when daddy used to talk to her, he would tell her things such as how human beings lived. And how they hated change, and even feared new things, going as far as to destroy the source of their fears, to make themselves feel as if they overcame it.

She felt something soft rub against her cheeks, and glanced at her left shoulder, seeing the bird nudge her as if to say "it's ok I'm here." She laughed and then glanced at it, realizing that she hadn't given it a name yet.

"Hmm, I should give you a name since it seems you'll be staying with me from now on. Hopefully Mommy won't mind, since you're so cute and tiny." She thought of different names she could name her, when an image of Sakura appeared in her mind, that brought her to the perfect name.

"I think I will name you Blossom, since my sister Sakura's name means Cherry Blossom, I will name you Blossom, and I'm sure Sakura would have loved you too!" MOMO said excitedly, and hopped gently from one foot to the other eager to tell her mother about Blossom.

The bird chirped at her as If in agreement, and MOMO giggled happily. "Well then let's hurry home!" She decided to run to shorten the distance, and took off for home, which wasn't far off.

to be continued

sorry that it's such a short chapter, but I am so tired, and it's 4:00 in them morning so I'll stop here for now and pick it up tomorrow. I will try to have chapter 4 up later tonight or within the next few days.

For future reference, I will be incorporating more of Episode III than II, since I can't remember too much of Episode II, and I don't want to make stupid mistakes of what actually happened.

Thanks for reading! See you next chapter!!

R&R please, it helps me see what I can improve on and I'd like to know what the readers are looking forward to within the story as well.

comments, critiques, requests, etc welcome.


	5. Findings

Here comes chapter 5! Yay!

Warning: Story will be slightly AU

**Disclaimer** provided by Jr. : Serenity does not and never will own Xenosaga, however she wishes with all her might she did.

**Chapter 5**: Findings

As MOMO raced towards home she failed to notice the silent shadow following in her wake. This shadow was of not a human, but a creature, a creature that had no existence in such a place. It could not be seen by normal human, nor realians, as this was a creature from a realm left rather unnamed.

"Hmm...so Blossom tell me what do you think I should cook tonight? I wonder what kind of food you eat. I guess we'll just have to experiment, since I don't see a place around here that would sell bird food."

The bird in question chirped as if in answer to the young realian's question, it had already taken a liking to MOMO sensing she was rather special.

Unknown to MOMO this bird was very special and was unique in that it had golden honey eyes. Almost as if it was made to complement the young girl exactly.

Suddenly, without warning the sunny sky above turned a dark and stormy color, as if in turmoil, and as MOMO blinked she watched as a downpour of rain showered her and those around her.

Falling like giant flower petals, and splashing everywhere, the water drops splashed on everything they touched as if the sky had just broken into tears.

"Oh no! I don't have an umbrella, and the food will get soaked at this rate. Let's see if I can scan for a nearby place to take shelter until the rain at least stops." She scanned the area around her, vaguely aware of people running and trying to find shelter from the heavy storm.

"Ah, there we go. That building over there looks good. Let's go Blossom." MOMO ran towards a bleak tall structure made of glass, which looked as if was used for business, but was vastly empty.

"Huff...huff. That was interesting to say the least. I wonder why it started raining all of a sudden, my sensors didn't even pick it up, and I'm usually very good at this kind of thing. Maybe I really am malfunctioning."

MOMO glanced around her safe haven from the storm and found that it was deserted, the current room she was in was very wide, and consisted of six desks spaced out from each other by 30 feet of floor, the walls were plain, with blue paint, and hardly any decorations, and there were a few papers strewn on the floor.

What caught her attention was the 2 doors on either side of the room. The one on the left side was open, while the one on the right side was closed. MOMO put down her groceries and ventured closer into the office like room. With hardly any sound coming from outside, and the storm still going strong she decided to explore a bit.

But just in case she was in trouble, she checked her ether, and made sure that her bow and arrows would be ready to use in an emergency.

"This place looks interesting, it looks as if people work here, or used to anyway, since I sense no life forms from the current floor." She glanced around her to make sure she was alone, then advanced to the first desk.

She put her finger lightly on the tip and sneezed when a chalk of dust filled the air around her. "I guess it really is deserted since I doubt anyone would work in such a dirty environment."

She looked at her finger and noticed that it had almost blackened from the dust. "When I go home I'm going to take a nice long shower. From the storm, and now this, I feel really dirty."

She searched the entire room throughly, feeling almost guilty at looking at someone else's belonging, but since there was hardly anyone, or anything she didn't feel as bad. Not realizing that the storm was over, and it was sunny again outside, MOMO decided to continue her exploration.

"Let's see what the opened room contains. I wonder if I can find anything interesting to collect." She ventured through the open door way and entered the room beyond. It was a plain room, save for a bed that was made, as if waiting for someone to come in and take a nap. Next to the bed was a tiny night stand made of smooth glass like wood, it was burgundy colored with etches of black mixed in. Strange designs were carved on it.

They looked almost like letters, yet were unidentifiable. On top of the night stand stood a plain glass vase containing a bouquet of red, peach, and white roses. The roses were fresh, as if they had just been taken out of a garden and put right into the vase.

"This is very strange. My scanners say that these roses are perfectly healthy, and that they will not wilt anytime soon. But I thought this building was deserted, maybe I was mistaken?"

MOMO reached out and gently touched one of the roses, it was soft and felt lush in her hand, as if alive. She leaned her face close and smelled it, receiving In return a pleasant scent in her nose. It smelled like something fresh, she couldn't describe it yet the sensation was thrilling for her.

She had never smelled a rose before, yet was very enticed by the scent, and the beauty of the enchanting flower. It seemed to beckon to her, as if to say "take me with you."

"I wonder if I should take them. Clearly I can sense that this building is deserted, and that there hasn't been a human in here In quite a while, yet these roses are here, and they're very fresh, as if just plucked." MOMO contemplated as to what she should do, then decided against taking them, thinking that if someone really did come here and found one missing, she would be in trouble.

She glanced around the room noticing nothing else of interest besides a closet in the corner, and a lone dresser with a mirror across the room. She was curious about this building and wanted to explore more, but as she glanced at her mini bunni communication watch, that she had received from Shion on her thirteenth birthday, she realized that it was late.

"Oh no. I'm going to be really late, and if Mommy, or Ziggy call to check on me, and find that I'm gone they'll go out to look for me. I wish I could stay longer and explore more but for today I should go home. I can always come back tomorrow, right Blossom?"

When she didn't receive the usual chirp in reply, she glanced at her left shoulder and found the tiny blue bird staring back towards the entrance of the building. She turned around and followed Blossom's gaze, yet found nothing except for desks she'd passed earlier, and the light dimming slowly outside.

"What is it Blossom? Is there something there I should see? It's too bad you can't answer me, otherwise I don't know what exactly it is you're staring at." She glanced around the room once more, and gave the vase full of roses a longing look then headed back out.

As she was making her way through the space between the desks, the sound of something clattering behind her made her turn around quickly.

She glanced around the room and saw nothing, yet something had just fallen to the ground, MOMO looked on trying to find something, yet even her scanner showed nothing. She was about to turn around and leave thinking it was just her imagination when Blossom suddenly shrieked and flew off her shoulder towards the center of the room.

"Blossom, come back! Where are you going" MOMO yelled, and watched as the bird flew off and disappeared into the darkness seeping into the room out of nowhere.

"Oh no! Come back, please!" MOMO whispered close to tears. The darkness at the end of the room was continuing to spread across the room, and she back away slowly until she hit the wall behind her. She didn't know what was happening but she could bet that it had something to do with the heart around her neck, and everything that happened in her dream last night.

Suddenly, the heart around her neck began to glow a faint pink and slowly floated up from under her shirt. It pulsed slowly as if in recognition to something.

"I should go look for her, but I will wait first and see if I sense any danger from that black fog." MOMO summoned her bow and an arrow and waited patiently for whatever it was that would appear from the dense black material that had currently filled half the room.

She was a strong girl, and after all she'd been through, from the day she'd gotten kidnapped then had been rescued by Ziggy, the events on the Song of Nephilim, and then the recent events of Miltia and Omega.

She'd learned a lot, an she'd become a strong ally to rely on. She would fight as hard as she could until the last drop of ether fell from her hand.

"My sensors are picking up something, but it's very faint, I wonder what It is. It could possibly be Blossom but just to be sure." She readied herself, and positioned her bow for firing range, in case whatever appeared attacked her.

MOMO watched as a dark pair of blue and black paws slowly made their way out of the black mist. She caught her breath as she watched the rest of the creature emerge slowly, from the shadows. Red eyes glanced around the room and finally settled on her, staring deeply as if watching prey.

MOMO stared intensely at the creature before her, and tried to not move an inch in case it decided to attack. Her sensors were only picking on the fact that it was a gnosis, yet what kind, or what its weakness and attributes she could not tell.

It was a very strange gnosis, It looked almost like the Asterion, except it was blue, and black instead of purple. And it was bigger too, Its skin was scaly, with sharp like daggers coming out of it's long tail. Its claws were long, almost longer than her hand, and glistened almost like glass, as if containing poison within them.

She watched as the creature swished its tail and moved forward slowly its claws making a painful sound ring across the room, as if to intensify the silence that was cast over the building.

MOMO glanced at it warily and waited to see if it would make a move, when suddenly out of nowhere, it snarled at her and jumped towards at lightning fast speed. Caught by surprise, MOMO jumped and rolled out of the way, but not soon enough to escape getting slashed across her right foot.

She gasped softly at the burning sensation in her leg, and limped away slowly, trying to find a place she could hide. Her sensors picked up the door in front of her, and as glanced up she saw that it was the door she'd seen earlier which had been closed.

She gripped the door knob and turned it, surprised to find it unlocked, and hurried into the room locking the door behind her. Not soon after and she almost fell forward as she heard a crash at the door and a howling shriek that made her shiver in fear.

"I need to find somewhere I can hide, until I can make it out safely, or at least destroy that gnosis. What on earth is a gnosis doing here anyway? And where has Blossom gone?" MOMO sighed and glanced around the room to see what shelter it could provide her with.

She was surprised to see that the room was full of crates, there were 4 different types of crates, and they were colored and sized in order around the room. There were medium sized yellow ones in the center, followed by large blue one towards the back of the room.

Quite a bit behind the blue ones were 2 giant pink crates on either side of the room. Meanwhile on either side of the yellow crates, there stood 3 small green ones. Since she was so tiny, MOMO found that she could easily fit inside any of them, or even use them as cover since it seemed that the gnosis outside was about to come after her soon.

"Well I guess I have no choice, first I'll heal this wound, then I'll hide behind the pink one and we'll see from there." She glanced at her right leg and noticed that where she'd been hit there were four long slashes, she winced at the sight of the blood and tissue damage and cast a medica on herself.

There was no effect. "What? This is strange, maybe I cast something else by accident." She cast Medica again, yet the outcome was the same. Her torn leg continued to bleed, and she was beginning to feel a bit woozy, she felt as if she had been poisoned with something.

MOMO could feel herself getting sluggish, and really tired. She tried again, this time casting Medica L, yet still the gash continued to seep with blood.

"This is not good, I won't be able to outrun this thing if it comes to it. I guess I have no choice but to take cover, and wait for the worst to happen."

MOMO limped forward and made it as far as one of the pink crates before collapsing behind it. She sighed and looked at her leg once again, it looked as if it had gotten a little better since she'd cast the Medica L, yet it was turning purple, and that was not a good sign.

"It must be infected, as I thought, that gnosis must have some kind of poison in its claws, when I get home I'll see if I can find out exactly what that gnosis is." She tried casting Medica L again, yet to no effect.

"Well no sense in wasting my ether in case I need it, I'll just wrap the wound for now and deal with it later." She brought her right arm up to her mouth and tore half the sleeve off, then wrapped it slowly and tightly around the wound, tying it firmly so as to stop the blood from flowing.

She succeeded in doing so, and then proceeded to get up and watch the door, waiting for the moment when it would come crashing down and reveal the creature behind it. She had no idea where Blossom had flown off to, or why her heart necklace was still pulsing and glowing faintly, as if in response to the threat outside.

"Well it's now or never, I finally have the chance to prove to myself that I am strong, and I can do this. No matter the obstacles I can do it." With this said MOMO prepared her bow and arrow and watched as the door finally crashed down as if ripped from its hinges.

Red piercing eyes glared through the dark fog surrounding the creature, and it sniffed the air as if searching her out.

MOMO breathed sharply and watched as the creature moved forward into the room slowly, searching, searching for the young realian hiding from it.

"Come on. Let's go, I can handle you." MOMO whispered silently and waited for the approaching creature to come with range of her bow.

to be continued...

Alright! Finally, chapter 5 is done! As I stated last night, here is chapter 5 and I hope you enjoy reading it, as much as I enjoyed writing it.

I apologize for the cliffhanger once again .';; I just couldn't help it, however look forward to the next chapter, in which some familiar and well known characters emerge.

I sincerely apologize for grammar, and typing mistakes, its been a while.

Comments, etcetera welcome


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